Book Review: Arena

I was extremely skeptical when I picked up a copy of "Arena" by Karen Hancock at my workplace's "library" (we have a shelf dedicated to book exchange on one of our floors). The inside blurb did not impress me much; in fact, in made me shudder. A sci fi allegory for the Christian faith? Pilgrim's Progress...only with aliens?

Let me give you a quick synopsis of the book. Our main protagonist, Callie, is stuck in an fulfilling life, plagued by deep fears that manifest in the form of acrophobia. Pressed on money, she's talked into signing up for a psychology study on decision making. The study is really a front for an alien operation. She's taken to an alien world called the "Arena" and told she has to follow the manual to find the True Benefactor, the only one who can help her get out of the Arena alive. Here, she is helped by the good aliens, the Aggillon, and hindered by the bad aliens, the Tohvani. They were all one race before one of the Tohvani, Prince Celphalus, had led a rebellion against the Aggillon king, Elhanu (yes, exactly like the fall of Satan). Through all this, Callie comes to faith in Elhanu, trusting him to deliver her back home to Earth.

Over all, the book is a great action-packed sci-fi thriller. The characters are extremely believable with their flaws and floundering faith. And since this is an allegory, some of the things addressed in the novel might not be a direct reflection of a particular theology as just a mechanism for good story telling (as in the case that the participants have to pass through three different gates in order to be "delivered" back home to earth. The gates are symbolic of rebirth, but I'm not quite sure if there author believes that believer must go through several rebirths, or what...to me it seems that she's just drawing out the action a bit). However, I do have a few bones to pick with the plot.

First of all is the involvement of the humans. After Celphulus' unsuccessful rebellion against Elhanu, where the rebellion Aggillons were stripped of their positions and punished, Celphulus demands a retrial of sorts, claiming that Elhanu proves his is unloving and unforgiving by punishing their rebellion. To prove his characteristics of love and forgiveness, Elhanu creates the Arena, and then begins to bring humans from Earth in order to go through a contest of sorts. If the humans follow the manual (representing the Scriptures) and trust in Elhanu, he will lead them safely through the Arena and back to Earth, proving that he keeps his promises. However, he never forces the humans to trust in him, always leaving it up to their own volition whether to follow him or to believe the lies of the Tohvani (the fallen angels) who have corrupted the Arena and are actively working to distract the humans away from following Elhanu.

Supposedly, Elhanu not forcing his will on the humans is his ultimate act of loving compassion. This is clearly representative of the author's view of the importance of human's free will (at least, I can only assume by the novel that she holds human free will as near sacred). However, what I don't understand and what doesn't seem to compare to any sort of theology is the fact that Elhanu is taking humans from a completely different world and setting them up in a test to see if they will follow him. Of course, this is a work of fiction, and this aspect seems more fictional than allegorical. Still, it just seems odd to me.

Another facet that did not appeal to me was the way in which Elhanu provided for the participants that followed him. There are places in the Arena called Safehavens. These are predesignated areas protected by Elhanu that are set up for participants. Each safehaven comes fully stocked with every kind of luxury imaginable. Excellent food, clothing, the softest beds, etc. In addition to the Safehavens, there is also Rimlight and Hope, two locations further into the arena, closer to the Exit. Both are staffed by Aggillons who are content to serve and entertain the human participants in anyway. And once Callie and the others make it out of the Arena (though Callie is the only one who remembers being there), the participants are blessed for following Elhanu...by financial means. Callie, a struggling artist who had been stuck in a miserable career breeding lab rats, suddenly goes for her dream and in less than a year is a well-known artist. Another character, Peirce, returns to his failing ranch and makes some stock decisions that lead to wealth and comfort for him, his mother and father.

These instances smack of the wealth, health and prosperity gospel that is so prevalent today. True, in the Arena, the participants were subject to violence and aggression from the Tohvani's followers, but once they have followed Elhanu, everything seems to magically fall in place. And sometimes, it seems we hold these same unrealistic expectations for God. Once we faithfully endure a hard time, God should swoop down and reward our perseverance with everything we wanted. Of course, this seems to be the theme of most Christian novels. In most cases, Good Guy/Gal faces terrible situations/circumstances that he/she struggles through for the first three-fourths of the novel before finally humbling his/herself before God. Then things turn around and whatever unfulfilled dream he/she had comes true and he/she thanks God for being awesome...the end.

And we expect that to happen in our lives.

Not that I'm blaming books like Arena for creating the delusion that God is the Great Santa Claus in the sky. But it does reinforce the idea. Then again, books that are a little more realistic, where the main character doesn't get what he/or she wants but what is best for him/her might not sell so well....